(S13E02) "He's a ball of emotion." - Sarah about Terence
Sure, Terence could very well be a "ball of emotion." But this week's episode of The Amazing Race might be better titled a "Ball of Confusion." I'm not talking only about the inevitable airport fiasco we're privy to each week. I'm talking about so many errors made by so many teams. Tonight's drama within the teams stepped up a bit more than what we saw last week.
My latest team impressions
It's strange how a first impression might be misleading, isn't it? Last week I surprised myself by actually liking the separated couple looking to get back together -- Ken and Tina. Well, I take it back. I'd like to rescind my liking them, please. I plead insanity. They, at least Tina, showed their real colors tonight. Oh my, she can be nasty. At the airport we watched her take all the credit for getting the larger airplane on the flight. Now, although she was the first in line, no airline will just change planes because of one woman's request for a ticket. It was the teams piling up, I think. Tina made a big mistake going around to each team and telling them they owed her and Ken. She and Ken bickered more this week, too. But I have to admit they might have some good qualities as far as being a team in the race.
I only enhanced my pity for Sarah being partnered with Terence. (Run, Sarah, run!) He whines and fusses more than I do and I thought I held the world's record for that. He bumps his head, whine and fuss. He's upset that Sarah talks to other teams, whine and fuss. Even though he apologized to Tina for snapping at her, he's irking me.
This week I got a handle on Stephanie and Anthony. I'm not impressed. Anthony thinks he can solve the world's problems with his mechanical know-how. Instead of grabbing a different cab, he wasted time pushing one so the driver could pop the clutch. During a touching moment which had Stephanie reflecting on how lucky they are and how hard some folks have it in the world, Anthony said they could get rich if they became mechanics. Yeah, he was probably joking, but ...! He also told a cab driver that he was burning oil. The cabbie rolled his eyes, so did I.
I'm still liking Toni and Dallas, the mother and son. He's definitely in shape for the race and she's probably going to have a hard time down the road. But at least they're pleasant. The two all-girl teams -- Marisa and Brooke, Kelly and Christy -- are quite different from each other. I can't see either of them winning it all at the end. Ty and Aja were almost ciphers this week. I'm still liking my comic book geeks Mark and Bill. They made some smart moves this week and don't get frazzled.
Stupid racer tricks
Most of the confusion this week stemmed from stupid mistakes. Kelly and Christy not only misread a clue, but they misread two clues. The first instance was hilarious! On the Detour, they tried to perform one task while using the instructions to the other task. Well, the containers were a different task, so digging for them on the Beach It task was a hoot. D'oh! But they didn't learn their lesson with that major error. They went on to letting their taxi go at the Roadblock when the clue instructed them to tell the taxi to wait. And, no. They're not the blond team.
Terence and Sarah had their own stupid racer trick which set them back. Everyone else realized that they had to find the taxis at the Roadblock by following the signs. Oh, but Terence is one of those guys who always knows better. I don't blame the other teams for not stopping for them as they tried to flag down the cabs. However, it was nice that Dallas and Toni stopped to tell them where the cabs were located. If not, they might be but skeletons on the highway in Brazil today.
Roadblock and Detour tasks
I found neither task too exciting tonight, nor were they all that chock-filled with the local culture. I learned that the natives in that area rolled their boats into the water using logs, running to replace the one in the front every so often. Oh. And the logs are heavy. Dune buggy beach rides and reading a humongous sign which looked like a mini-version of the Great Wall of China. Who's out there to read all that stuff? It looked like a fairly desolate area to me.
My favorite team, Mark and Bill, played it right. They were the only one to choose the Docket detour (although Kelly and Christy followed the clues for that to do Beach It). They knew where their strengths were and did the task well. They also zoomed through the Roadblock by writing down all the town names on the sign. It's just too bad Tina saw what he was doing.
For the record, the Pit Stop order
1. Tina and Ken - each won an off-road vehicle
2. Mark and Bill
3. Terence and Sarah
4. Aja and Ty
5. Toni and Dallas
6. Nick and Starr
7. Kelly and Christy
8. Andrew and Dan
9. Marisa and Brooke
10. Anthony and Stephanie
As the last team to arrive, Anthony and Stephanie were Philiminated. Stephanie seems nice enough, but I don't think I'd want to watch a season of Anthony. In his final words, he said he's grateful for his health, Stephanie, and his good looks. Um. Maybe he was joking again.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-06-2008 @ 11:16AM
Darren Lim said...
For the Roadblock, was there any logical way to come up with the answer without doing the brute force method that Mark and Bill used (which most of the others ended up using)?
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10-06-2008 @ 11:18AM
Ryan said...
I'm still liking Nick and Starr, but I definitely think the mother/son team is my favorite. I also like Mark and Bill.
I hate Terence/Sarah and don't like Andrew/Dan. Tina is super annoying, but for some reason I'm still giving them the benefit of a doubt.
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10-06-2008 @ 11:30AM
ral said...
To me, the most annoying part about Tina's patting herself on the back, was that there was only 1 seat on the original flight.
And then they switched to a bigger plane that could accomodate all the teams.
But because there was only 1 seat, ALL teams would've been on the later flight. So, even IF Tina was the reason the plane was switched - which she wasn't - she didn't HELP a single team.
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10-06-2008 @ 11:31AM
A Gould said...
I blinked when they hit the Roadblock - how were they supposed to solve it? I didn't see any teams "solve" it, other than the brute force method.
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10-06-2008 @ 12:14PM
Darren Lim said...
did the clue mention something about the lifestyle of the residents of the area? They showed a beach scene if I'm not mistaken. But even then, I don't see how it applied to the Roadblock... perhaps just some bad editing?
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10-06-2008 @ 1:42PM
Veronica said...
I think the right name had the word Cidade in it, which means city in Portuguese, that could have been a clue.
10-06-2008 @ 12:25PM
dt3 said...
couple random thoughts...
- worst roadblock i've ever seen... i mean honestly just literally throw 10 needles in a haystack and let them go at it.
- out of all these teams there is not one likeable couple in the bunch (maybe aja + ty)...
- tina is a horrible person... how anyone can have a positive first impression off her boggles my mind (and once again makes me wonder if tvsquad reviewers are watching the same/complete episodes we are). Go back and watch the first episode again and tell me one time she came off as the least bit likeable.
- Nick is a complete assbag... when he went from team to team trying to "align" I was praying for someone to call him out. "Get away from me. Do you think I just didnt hear you say the exact same thing to the other team?"
- mark + bill... we get it... they're nerdy... no more yoda impressions
- kelly + christy are too stupid to live. What took longer... 1)them realizing they were the only team digging in the dirt 2) them realizing their cab never left or 3) them realizing their ex-husbands were banging their secretaries??
- Back on K+C... What makes more sense running up and down an abandoned road thinking a taxi s just gonna drive by OR going to ask one of the waiting cabbies to call for another one to come (or even trying to steal one. Its a dick move but at that time it was a 25% chance who ever they dicked over was going home anyways)
- andrew + dan... can we get any more vanilla? what is supposed to make these guys interesting?? These guys are a dime a dozen on every college campus and i find it hard to believe these 2 are the most interesting to apply. Maybe its some big brother type twist... I am guessing they are going to be revealed as being Ken + Tina's children that were put up for adoption so the 2 would not have to give up their love for self involvedness.
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10-06-2008 @ 2:07PM
Ryan said...
What do you have against Tony and Dallas? I think they're pretty likeable.
10-06-2008 @ 1:30PM
JoyceN said...
Terence and Tina are getting on my last nerve. Hope both couples are leaving soon. Too bad, though, because I like Sarah. She's really getting to know the good, the bad and the ugly about her beau, isn't she? If she has any brains, she'll be kissing his whiny butt good-bye at the end of their trip.
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10-06-2008 @ 2:09PM
I miss my stars! said...
If I were racing with Terence I would be in crutches because I would have broken my foot off in his butt by now. Sarah - you are getting a glimpse into your future if you stick with this asshat.
I haven't liked Tina from the first time I set eyes on her, perhaps it was the overplucked eyebrows or the perpetual look of constipation on her face. It's little wonder her husband cheated. I'm getting real tired of his "I've got to prove to her..." mea culpa every week.
I like the comic geeks and the frat boys are only still in the running because there are still people more stupid than they in the race. I would have forgiven the divorcees their digging error if they had stolen another teams cab.
I think Aja/Ty, Toni/Dallas and Mark/Bill will go the furthest because they work well together and have the ability to talk and think at the same time.
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10-06-2008 @ 4:25PM
dt3 said...
" are only still (on the show still) because there are still people more stupid than they in the race."
thank god... I honestly thought i was the only one who noticed this phenomenon in reality television. Every time I see some idiotic player/team kicked out of the 5th-8th episode of bigbro/survivor/AR and talk about what an accomplishment it is to get that far I nearly lose my mind.
10-06-2008 @ 4:27PM
Michael said...
What is up with Terence and Sarah? Terence behaves like a 4 year old little girl and Sarah is very concerned how other people treat her. Sarah - "They didn't even say hi to us." Are you kidding me? They both act like lunatics.
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10-06-2008 @ 7:18PM
nisesmith said...
Tina bothers me too. Many things bother me, but especially those stripper outfits she wears when she's way past the age to be wearing them. Also I had to laugh out loud when she started telling everyone she got the airline to upgrade to a bigger plane. Give me a brake, lady. How egotistical is she?
And Terence, oh man. I really think Sarah is actually a hard worker, and a smart cookie, except when it comes to her choice in men. Terence seems like he thinks he is a gift and that he should be coddled. Grow up! I love how he keeps whining when he and Sarah are in a foot race and he says something like, "Wait Up, Sarah!" Now isn't he a runner? How ironic.
I still am loving the nerds, and the impression of Yoda didn't bother me at all, it made me laugh.
I also thought the road block was really stupid. I didn't see any clear instructions as to how they were supposed to solve it besides just guessing over and over again.
And I agree that Nick was way out of line asking for Sarah's help and then when he found out she didn't have anything to contribute he just ditched her and went on to the frat boy, who he also ended up ditching. Nice. I hope that one comes back to bite him in the butt.
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10-07-2008 @ 12:20PM
ORKMommy said...
Does anyone else notice how Andrew & Dan act like they think they're bad ass frat boys when they're really just immature geeks? They remind me of the guys on Revenge of the Nerds. They were frat boys too...
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10-07-2008 @ 3:01PM
blinky said...
Just found another great recap of this episode. Very funny stuff.
http://www.midseasonreplacements.com/
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10-08-2008 @ 1:10PM
Syd said...
I agree with you JoyceN. I like Sarah so much but that bundle of immaturing and insecurity she's with! What does she see in him?
I am loving this season, it's one of my fave shows. RIght now the comic books boys are who I'm rooting for. Thanks for another excellent piece of writing there Jackie S.
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10-11-2008 @ 5:46PM
principalspage said...
If you love The Amazing Race- please join us Sunday, October 12 for a Live Blog at www.LIVEfromtheMANCAVE.com.
Share your thoughts and comments on the latest episode.
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10-13-2008 @ 8:08AM
Bercana said...
Terrance is an abusive unstable psychopath. Sarah is cool. It boggles the mind how she (or anyone) could be with that pathetic, insecure child. And her state of denial (oh... he's just emotional) is breathtaking. Run Sarah... don't walk. This man-child is an abusive a-hole.
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